The Sassy O'Hara

Scarlett O’Hara turned 75 this week, and like the charming but headstrong character in the American Classic, Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell, the novel’s author, was a sassy sort as well. In the mid 1920’s, Mitchell was a reporter for The Atlanta Journal and enjoyed quite the active social life until a foot injury handed her a sedentary fate. She became an ardent reader and after she read everything in the local library, her husband gave her a used Remington typewriter and the rest, as you know dear readers, is literary history.

The NPR story that aired on June 30th reported that Mitchell wrote the last chapter of Gone with the Wind first knowing from the get-go that…"Rhett wasn't going to care that much” and that Scarlett was going to think about that tomorrow. Additionally, Mitchell wrote chapters as they occurred to her and fit them into the tale as the story developed.
The NPR broadcast also said that “though most of Mitchell's manuscript was burned after her death, a few chapters survived and the last pages of the book are framed on the wall at the Atlanta History Center.”

Just as a bit of trivia, the original name of Mitchell’s heroine was "Pansy" and Mitchell did not change the name until just before the novel went to print. Regardless of her moniker, Scarlett is an iconic character, certainly worthy of having a cocktail named after her, so I embarked on a search and indeed found such a potion. The Scarlett O’Hara consists of Southern Comfort, cranberry juice and lime. So, thought this blogger, how can I alter this recipe to capture the spicy nature of Katie Scarlett O'Hara Hamilton Kennedy Butler?

Tabasco!

The Sassy O’Hara
2 oz of Bourbon
4 oz Cranberry Juice
Lime Juice (of 1/2 lime)
Two dashes of Tabasco
A few sage leaves

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the bourbon, cranberry juice, lime juice, Tabasco, and sage leaves. Shake well enough to infuse the sage. Pour strained into a fancy glass. Garnish with a slice of lime and sage leaves.


Not the only beverage we enjoyed at an impromptu gathering at Foodies.

Watch "Went with the Wind" here. Classic Carol Burnett!

Rhett & Scarlett from Google images. Manuscript photo from NPR.org.